Archive for July, 2006

BWC Mixes: Summertime

Ah, summer. After 8 months of gloom and rain, when the sun finally peeks over the eternally snow-capped peak of Mt. Hood and lowers slowly down the thick trunks of oaks in Laurelhurst, or the glass walls of the US Bancorp tower, Portlanders breathe a deep sigh of relief. I’m convinced that summers...
July 15th, 2006 | Music | Read More

Backpacks for the Homeless

There are a thousand questions about homelessness that we ask ourselves when the subject comes up. Imagine you’re driving down the road, and you see that same homeless person you’ve seen in that same area for the past 5 years… Who is he? Where did he come from? And the biggest one…...
July 15th, 2006 | Social Justice | Read More

Guster – Ganging Up On the Sun

I’ve never been able to figure out why Counting Crows and The Dave Matthews Band receive such notoriety and monetary success, while Guster remains one step away from the untold riches of being an Adult Alternative radio staple. While DMB may be accomplished musicians, Matthew’s voice and...
July 15th, 2006 | Music | Read More

The Flaming Lips – Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

I’m smitten. It’s too bad for me that I’m a thirtysomething dude living in the 21st century as opposed to, I don’t know, a teenaged girl living in 1910 because having to use the word “smitten” makes me sound like a wuss. Nothing can be done about that, I’m afraid....
July 15th, 2006 | Music | Read More

Left, Right, Left, Right…

BWC, I wanted to write and point you to a couple of articles on Slate.com I enjoyed reading. The first discusses a speech by Barak Obama at a Call to Renewal Conference. I appreciated Senator Obama’s candor and honest faith. The second article discusses the differences between Michael Lerner,...
July 15th, 2006 | Letters to the Editor | Read More

Must…Keep…Satirizing…

Readers, I’m writing to you with mixed emotions today. On a positive note, I think we have a very good issue for you this month…we put a lot of work in and we’re confident you’ll enjoy the latest edition. On the other hand, I’ve been reading the news the last few days and...
July 15th, 2006 | Letters from the Editor | Read More

A Privilege and A Duty

Growing up in the Northwest suburbs of Dallas, you see a homeless man walking through the green grass of the cul de sacs as often as you’re exposed to a brutal and blustery snow storm. The one exception is when advertisement companies pay the underprivileged to hang those annoying fliers on the...
July 15th, 2006 | Social Justice | Read More

Water is More Precious Than Gold

“We ask the Chilean Government not to authorize the Pascua Lama project to protect the whole of 3 glaciers, the purity of the water of the San Felix Valley and El Transito, the quality of the agricultural land of the region of Atacama, the quality of life of the Diaguita people and of the whole...
July 1st, 2006 | Social Justice | Read More

Book Review: Absurdistan, by Gary Shteyngart

I finished Absurdistan three weeks ago. That I’m still reflecting on it is a testament to the complexity of Gary Shteyngart’s second novel and the caliber of his writing; that I still don’t know what to make of the book, even whether or not I enjoyed it, is probably due to the same...
July 1st, 2006 | Books | Read More

Beirut – Gulag Orkestar

The first half of the year is over, and the two best albums of 2006 at this point are both heavily influenced by Eastern Bloc folk stylings. Neko Case’s The Fox Confessor Brings the Flood by Russian folklore, and Beirut’s Gulag Orkestar by the polka waltzes from the other side of the collapsed...
July 1st, 2006 | Music | Read More
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